Bill Erasmus has been returned to power as Dene National Chief following Wednesday’s election in Deline.
The community is playing host to the 45th Dene National Assembly, where Erasmus beat rival Harold Cook by 85 votes to 43 with one spoiled ballot.
Erasmus, born in Yellowknife in 1954, first assumed leadership of the Dene Nation in 1987. He has remained national chief since, with the exception of a three-year period between 2003 and 2006 during which Noeline Villebrun held the post.
Cook, 65, said his nomination was backed by Sahtu chiefs. Prior to the election, he told the Northern Journal he would deliver “more communication between the national office and the people at the community level”.
Erasmus, in addition, retains the post of Assembly of First Nations regional chief.
